I mentioned a while back that I had “tragically” lost some of my original blog photos when I first switched over to WordPress This is kind of lame because now I have a few recipes out there without photos. RECIPES WITHOUT PHOTOS, PEOPLE. I know. Take a moment to calm yourselves. I’ll wait.

Did you get yourself a cocktail? Well I did. I’m feeling much better.

Ok, now that we’re all more relaxed, let’s just jump into today’s second edition of “Recipe Re-do”! This lasagna is one of my favorites, especially for those times when you’re having company over, and you want dinner to “magically be ready” without losing an hour of socializing while you’re slaving away in the kitchen. It’s also a great make-ahead meal if you stack everything up in ye olde crockpot ahead of time and then let ‘er rip the next day.

If you’re not on board after seeing cheese and sauce, well then, I think you may be in the wrong place.

This time I had a chance to put my favorite sauce in the entire world to use here. (Trader Joe’s Three Cheese Pomodoro Pasta Sauce. And I of course mean favorite after my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce, duh. Hi, mom.) And although I normally use whole wheat noodles when making pasta, for some reason I just don’t get down with ww lasagna noodles. They just aren’t my bag, baby. But these Dreamfields noodles are an awesome lower-carb option if you’re into that sort of thing.

OH- and here’s a little secret I thought I’d share with you guys. You’ll notice the recipe calls for some water, well make sure and use you sauce jar to add this step. Pour it right into the jar, shakeshakeshake, and you’ll be able to use up every last drop of that sweet tomato-ey goodness.

So as you can see, this is a super simple recipe. Just layer up all that jazz and throw a lid on your dear sisterwife/crockpot and you’re donesies. 6 hours later, you’ll be in Cheesy Pasta Town. And who doesn’t want to go to there?

Crockpot Lasagna (take 2)
Serves: 6-8
Time: 7 hours
You’ll Need:
1/2 box of lasagna noodles (Whole wheat or lower carb)
28 oz jar tomato sauce of your choice
1/2 cup water
1 lb lean grass-fed ground beef
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
15 oz container reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated reduced-fat parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (or other soft cheese)

Directions: In a large sauce pan over med-high heat, sautee ground beef and onion, until beef is browned. Add garlic and sautee another minute. Remove from heat. Drain the liquid from the pan and add tomato sauce and water.
Meanwhile in a large bowl, combine 1 cup mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan and mascarpone cheese. Add egg and mix until smooth.
Spoon about 3/4 cup of the sauce onto the bottom of your crockpot and then start layering noodles. You will have to break them into smaller pieces for this, but I promise it will be ok. Cover noodles with a layer of cheese mixture, then sauce, then noodles again. Repeat and finish with a layer of noodles, then sauce, then the rest of your mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Turn your crockpot to low and let cook for 6-7 hours. (I did 6 and it was cooked to perfection.)

Serve with a side of caesar salad.

Printer-Friendly Recipe

You guys, this is seriously one of my favorite meals ever. And the mascarpone cheese was kind of a last-minute add since I just had some I wanted to use up, but it was a great call. Plus pretty much anytime you add more cheese to something it’s a good idea.

So that’s it for this edition of Recipe Re-Do’s! Have you guys ever made crockpot lasagna? Thoughts?

Note 1: You also may notice that I strayed from my usual ground turkey here and went straight for the ground beef. I can’t explain it other than the fact that I had some questionable turkey a few months ago and haven’t been able to go back to it since.

Note 2: I have no affiliation to any of the products I mentioned here, they are just simply a few of my faves that I wanted to share.

Note 3: Here’s the original recipe post.

Note 4: Just kidding. I’m done.